MBROLA

by Mons University / open source

Diphone-based TTS engine — paired with eSpeak NG for more natural output.

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TL;DR

Best for eSpeak NG users wanting more natural diphone-based voices in 35+ languages. Pricing: free (AGPL since 2018).

Category
Open source
License
AGPL-3.0
Stars
★ 305
Last push
2025-07-20
Pricing
free (AGPL since 2018)
Platforms
Linux, macOS, Windows

What it is

MBROLA is a diphone-based speech synthesizer often paired with eSpeak NG as the voice backend — eSpeak handles phonemization and MBROLA produces audio. Re-released under AGPL in 2018 after years as freeware. Consent posture: synthetic-only.

Best for: eSpeak NG users wanting more natural diphone-based voices in 35+ languages.
Watch out for: Voice databases vary in quality; some languages still classical-sounding.

Install / use

sudo apt install mbrola

Features

Speaker diarizationNo
Word-level timestampsNo
Streaming / real-timeNo
Languages supported35
HIPAA eligibleNo

Links

GitHub repo ↗

MBROLA vs Whipscribe

FeatureMBROLAWhipscribe
CategoryOpen sourceTranscription APIs
Pricingfree (AGPL since 2018)$4–$24 one-time packs (credits never expire) · $2 single unlock · 60 min free on signup
Speaker diarization—Yes
Word timestamps—Yes
Streaming—No
Languages3599
PlatformsLinux, macOS, WindowsWeb, API, MCP

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